What are my options for charging?

[dirtdiver]

Hey everyone, some time ago I was anticipating an EV and had an electrician install this in my garage. He said this is what he puts in for Teslas. Reading some of the threads on the forum Im guessing a 50amp breaker only allows me to charge at 40amps? My ER Lariat is going to come with a travel charger and then something bigger (that is back ordered?)? Will both provided chargers work with my setup in the pic? 40amps will give me how many miles of juice per hour of charging? Thanks in advance. steve

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[Amps]

You didn't include your truck use scenario nor the availability of DC chargers nearby as backups. But, 40 Amp charging should give you roughly 20 miles per hour of range restored to Lightning's battery. The 30A Mobile included with the truck, about 15 mph. That's on the optimistic side if you do a lot of highway driving.

 

[Stlww18]

I believe the Charge Station Pro has to be hardwired, but you can derate it to 40 amps and it will work on that circuit. The mobile charger will work on what you have, but it only charges at 32 amps.

 

[RickLightning]

If the box that breaker is on can handle more, you'll want to see what you can increase to. If you come home with a mostly depleted battery, you may want to be able to charge faster than 40amps, especially when the charger that's coming can go up to 80amps.

 

[metroshot]

If the box that breaker is on can handle more, you'll want to see what you can increase to. If you come home with a mostly depleted battery, you may want to be able to charge faster than 40amps, especially when the charger that's coming can go up to 80amps.

Yes, ask your electrician if the wiring can be upgraded to 100A circuit in anticipation of the 80A FCSP.

If possible, when it arrives, your electrician can upgrade the breaker and wiring for the 80A.

If you do receive your Lightning now, you can use the 32A travel charger included in the meantime.

 

[dirtdiver]

Yes, ask your electrician if the wiring can be upgraded to 100A circuit in anticipation of the 80A FCSP.

If possible, when it arrives, your electrician can upgrade the breaker and wiring for the 80A.

If you do receive your Lightning now, you can use the 32A travel charger included in the meantime.

So, just adding a bit to the story I don't think I can go any bigger. My house panel is at 200amps and Im using every bit of it- although not all at once. Ive got a well pump, a welder outlet, air conditioners, etc... I guess if I didnt use the dryer at the same time as charging the truck that might allow for some improvement right at the sub panel. Thanks for the pointers. The nice thing for me is that *most* of the time I wont be bringing my truck in for charging when it is near 10-20%. With that big battery and day to day use I think it will be usually show up at the charger with an existing level of 50-60%. steve

 

[metroshot]

So, just adding a bit to the story I don't think I can go any bigger. My house panel is at 200amps and Im using every bit of it- although not all at once. Ive got a well pump, a welder outlet, air conditioners, etc... I guess if I didnt use the dryer at the same time as charging the truck that might allow for some improvement right at the sub panel. Thanks for the pointers. The nice thing for me is that *most* of the time I wont be bringing my truck in for charging when it is near 10-20%. With that big battery and day to day use I think it will be usually show up at the charger with an existing level of 50-60%. steve

Are you planning on using the home backup power (HIS) feature with your 80A charger ?

That decision will determine how you want the 80A installed or not....

 

[dirtdiver]

Maybe I ought to upgrade that 50amp to an 80amp? remove the plug and hardwire in the 80amp charger. Turn off the dryer when I plug in the truck. We only use the dryer a few times per week as we only have 2 of us in the house.
Thoughts?

steve

 

[dirtdiver]

Are you planning on using the home backup power (HIS) feature with your 80A charger ?

That decision will determine how you want the 80A installed or not....

No. I have no plans to implement the HIS feature. If power goes out I will run an extension cord over to my outlets. I actually already have a cut out switch and input for generator power to house. I will run an extension cord over to that male plug in the wall.

steve

 

[RickLightning]

Maybe I ought to upgrade that 50amp to an 80amp? remove the plug and hardwire in the 80amp charger. Turn off the dryer when I plug in the truck. We only use the dryer a few times per week as we only have 2 of us in the house.
Thoughts?

steve

That means you're upgrading to 100amps to run the 80amp charger.

Do you really weld while you're charging the truck? Can't you stop charging the truck when you weld? And dryer use?

 

[dirtdiver]

I hardly ever weld at this property. But still the welder has an allocation in the panel as if I use both.

 

[Nick Gerteis]

With no plans to use the HIS, and usually only using 40-50%, you don’t need to change anything. Just charge at 40 amps and only upgrade if that turns out to be insufficient.

 

[metroshot]

No. I have no plans to implement the HIS feature. If power goes out I will run an extension cord over to my outlets. I actually already have a cut out switch and input for generator power to house. I will run an extension cord over to that male plug in the wall.

steve

Same here - we don't get power outages so if it does happen, I'll run extension cords to the house.

As for no backfeed / HIS - just keep the breaker alone - try the included 32A charger and if that's not sufficient or quick enough, consider going to a 48A EVSE that is hardwired w/ 60A breakers like mine:

 

[jefro]

Should have used a GFCI breaker.

Set evse to 40A. EVSE is a constant power device and needs to be set lower so 50A to 40A charge.

Your use each day determines how much you need to replace. 40A should replace a lot of power over the 14 hours a night you have.

While it might be possible to install the larger gizmo you have on backorder. To get the full benefit of that you'd want an expensive upgrade to use the truck automatically as power backup. You still have the simple cord to get power out now.

If the truck did come with a dual voltage then you can easily live with it.

Or many other devices exist. One I might consider is a Grizzl-e unless you really need smart tech.

 

[Firestop]

So, just adding a bit to the story I don't think I can go any bigger. My house panel is at 200amps and Im using every bit of it- although not all at once. Ive got a well pump, a welder outlet, air conditioners, etc... I guess if I didnt use the dryer at the same time as charging the truck that might allow for some improvement right at the sub panel. Thanks for the pointers. The nice thing for me is that *most* of the time I wont be bringing my truck in for charging when it is near 10-20%. With that big battery and day to day use I think it will be usually show up at the charger with an existing level of 50-60%. steve

You may wish to verify that your NEMA 14-50 receptical is rated for “Industrial Use” per Ford’s recommendation. I’ve seen some nasty failures of these recepticals under heavy use (higher loads, frequent disconnects)…..